Need advice/help on 406 battery/starting problem

[Dueknave]

Okay first of all...saying im not an mechanical expert would be the biggest under-statement of the year!

I'm having diffcult getting my 406 turbo diesel started (same engine as 306 turbo diesel). Badly need it to get to uni!

A few weeks ago:

If i charge my battery for a few hours and then try to start my car it usually starts straight away.
If i turn the car off and then try to start it again or do this a few times it turns over and over but doesnt start.
It would start with a jump or a hill start

Last week:

Parked outside a doctors came back and the car wouldnt even turn over, just made a very light cliking noise and the speedometer/rev hand started waving up and down. All lights came on. Car wouldnt star on push or jump.

Got it back to my house, noticed fuel pump was leaking and ineffective, replaced it. Thought maybe this would make car started easier? replaced timing belt aswell due to it being connected to the fuel pump anyway.



Charged battery fully for days and car started once (didnt hold charge and batter died).Checked battery its reading 11 volts, goes up when engines on...so alternators fine?

Now i replaced the battery with a second hand one that was tested as fine for £15....charged battery for 12 hours and couldnt start car (not charged enough? faulty?) think it was lying around for a few weeks unused? also it wouldnt start on a jump? do i need to charge it more (its currently on and reading 3/ was reading 2 before starting attempts...only try when its reading 0?) or do i need to fork out 60 quid and get a completely new battery?

Also when i turn the key the whole way around just so all dash lights come on i hear one single click from my battery which never happened before?
and when my diesel fuel light comes on i have about 8 mile before my car just dies? seems too short....was hoping maybe fuel pump could have fixed this?


Basically im a newbie to the car scene (although im good with my hands and learning fast haha) and want someone with a bit of experience to tell me what the problem is. Any advice or tips would be greatly appreciated!! Cheers

[madmadmax]

fork out for the battery, now when you did the timing belt did you lock off the cam and crank?

where did you get the fuel pump as most in the bakers yard are f*cked due to being exposed to the environment.

where are as i would be willing to have a look at it, i am in sheffield south yourkshire i also get parts at trade prices.

[Dix]

I am having similar problems at the moment . This has been my first 406 aswell
There are 2 VERSIONS D8 & D9 MARK 1 MARK2 WHICH YEAR is yours? all cars battery are 12v .

SO if you get 11v I would double check that you accuratley took the reading!!

To overcome the 12v the alternator shut push out about 14.5Volts
I all ways BUY 2NDhand stuff.I would ring up the people you got the battery from & ask them to change it sounds KNACKD from the start
I just had to do this recently & so far so good
I WENT for a massive 80a/h battery
another thing I would do , is to start the car every day & leave running get every thing up to temp
MY car has know problems in warmer weather
LOOKING forward to spring

[Doggy]

FWIW, a fully charged battery should give 13.2 V. fully discharged = 10.8 V.
With the engine running you should get 14.0 - 14.5 V. at the battery terminals.

[Dueknave]

Thanks so much for replies!!!

I charged the second hand battery I bought all day and last night, haven't got around to testing it. Wouldn't start the car this morning, but it turned over so quickly, wasn't sluggish at all in the slightest....could it still be the battery? Car wouldn't start on a jump either


Mechanic said it wasn't the heater plugs etc


Ive been reading about some a lift pump? could mine my faulty and the pressure isn't enough or something? There seems to be diesel getting to the engine though

If in theory the battery is good...what does the problem sound like to you guys? seems weird I cant jump it!!

[Dueknave]

Also...mine is a 1999 turbo diesel

[steve_earwig]

Are the 6th, 7th and 8th letter of your chassis number RHY or DHX?

[madmadmax]

this is sounding like the timing out by one tooth, as he is saying that he did the cam belt when he changed the fuel pump and now it spins over "so quickly" or hes got a dhx and the diesel pump it way out

hears what i would do to start with i would check the timing belt and make sure i can put all the locking pins in
then put a new fuel filter in it just to be sure
then i would sit and think long and hard and check all the electrics are plugged in and set right

[Dueknave]

Put new battery in and just turns over

So new battery, new fuel pump, new timing belt and it just turns over and theres a half tank of diesel??


I DONT UNDERSTAND

[steve_earwig]

New glowplugs?

[lozz]

(speedometer/rev hand started waving)

normaly a sigh of a iffy crank sensor,

[Dueknave]

Glow plugs are fine mate, two weeks old!!

Hmm would a damaged crank sensor cause this??

[madmadmax]

(speedometer/rev hand started waving)

normaly a sigh of a iffy crank sensor,

or a flat battery

as i said the timing is out, the dw10 can have the timing out with no piston contact so they just turn over and over till the battery is flat.

[ScottyDave]

When mine wouldn't start, it turned out to be a spiked ecu caused by the flat battery... when I turned the key and it just clicked it killed the ecu... Hdi 90 bosch.